Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Young Oregonian conductor wins award from Solti Foundation

Kelly Kuo, a native of Hermiston and a University of Oregon graduate, received an U.S. Career Assistance Award from the Solti Foundation. Kuo was one of three young conductors selected for this honor. The big prize of $25,000 went to Erik Nielsen.

Here some info about Kuo from the press release:

Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra since 2007, Kelly Kuo previously served as Assistant Conductor and Repetiteur for Cincinnati Opera, Kentucky Opera and Opera Pacific. Mr. Kuo has also served as cover conductor for Los Angeles Opera and Italy’s Festival Euro Mediterraneo. In the 09-10 season, Mr. Kuo leads La traviata for Kentucky Opera and Hansel and Gretel for Lyric Opera San Diego and returns as Music Director for Opera International’s Vocal Gala Concert. This past season, Mr. Kuo made his conducting debuts with the Lyric Opera of Chicago (Porgy and Bess) and Madison Opera (Cosi fan tutte) and returned to Lyric Opera San Diego to lead Trial by Jury and the world premiere of Nicholas Reveles’ Rumpelstiltskin, as well as performances of Porgy and Bess at Hamburg Staatsoper. Among his opera credits are performances with Tulsa Opera, Pro Cantus Lyric Opera, Rising Star Opera Theater and gala concerts for Wichita Grand Opera. Kelly Kuo began his musical studies at age five on the violin and made his debut as a piano soloist with the Walla Walla Symphony five years later. An alumnus of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, where he studied vocal coaching as well as conducting with Larry Rachleff, Kelly Kuo earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oregon where he studied piano with Horowitz pupil Dean Kramer and majored in both music and Chinese. He earned his M.M. in piano from Manhattan School of Music, where his teachers included Byron Janis and Warren Jones.

No comments: